Control Challenges Parents Experience When Monitoring Adolescents' Internet and Social Media Use

Date of Conferral

10-12-2023

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Hedy Dexter

Abstract

Abstract The ubiquitous nature of social media/internet use among adolescents in the United States has become a concern for parents due to risks to safety (e.g., sexual predators), emotional and psychological wellbeing (e.g., cyberbullying), academic achievement (e.g., poor grades), and physical health (e.g., sedentary lifestyle/obesity) faced by unsupervised youth with unlimited access to digital media. Parents readily acknowledge the importance of monitoring their adolescents’ social media/internet use; however, studies have documented their failure to do so. For various reasons, parents encounter challenges in their attempts to keep children safe such as adolescents’ desire for independence, lack of parental digital skills, and the secretive nature of social media and digital world writ large. This qualitative study explored parents’ perceptions of challenges experienced while monitoring their adolescent’s social media/internet use. Guided by the parental mediation theory for the digital age, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of adolescents who used social media/internet. Data were analyzed through coding and themes. Participants shared their experiences monitoring their adolescents’ social media/internet use, revealing concerns about lack of parental interest, early monitoring, communicating with adolescents, building trust, and app use and parental controls. These findings have implications for positive social change, as the findings can inform training programs developed by school administrators to assist parents’ efforts to keep children safe while enhancing academic performance.

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